Congratulations to Erica Naughton, who on Monday, August 3, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation.
The title of Erica's dissertation is, "STORIES OF STRENGTH: BLACK WOMEN PRINCIPALS LEADING IN RACIALLY MINORITIZED SCHOOL COMMUNITIES."
The abstract of this study follows:
Overview of Problem: Tenured Black female administrators who lead in marginalized communities are often identified as “clean-up women,” by improving instructional outcomes for underserved students (Peters, 2011). These women often face challenges such as limited resources, intergenerational trauma, and low student achievement data (Tillman, 2008). Bailes and Guthery (2020) found that women and people of color experience delays in attaining the principalship and/or being promoted from assistant principal. Despite these challenges, Black female administrators have experienced professional success in marginalized communities.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this critical qualitative inquiry was to amplify the stories of tenured Black Women school principals who have served as leaders for 4+ years in marginalized communities. Drawing upon Collins’ theory of othermothering, comprised of ethics of care, institutional guardianship, and cultural advancement, this study seeks to make visible how these principals’ persistence in and commitment to marginalized communities offer a counternarrative to the dominant deficit framing.
Research Design: Critical qualitative inquiry
Sample: Black (anyone who is within the African diaspora) women principals with 4+ years of experience leading (School Building Leadership or equivalent) in marginalized K-12 school communities in the contiguous 48 United States.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data will be collected through a semi-structured interview with questions aligned with each research question and theory, along with additional probes when necessary. Each 60 to 90-minute interview will be conducted, transcribed, and recorded via Zoom. I followed Yin’s (2016) Five-Phased Cycle of data analysis, which consists of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and drawing conclusions. Compiling the data occurred as I transcribed and member checked the data.
Findings/Results: Although the social context differs, the need for Black women to use motherhood as an institution has been continued as a way of knowing practiced by these participants concluding that Othermothering is a leadership practice enacted by these Black women principals.
Conclusions/Implications: The leadership profile for longevity in a racially minoritized community must lead with empathy, foster relationships that matter. Therefore, human resource departments must screen for these characteristics. Finally, support for principals must be consistent, and financial obstacles must be addressed with equity.
Dissertation Chair:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
Dissertation Committee:
Dr. Nicole Joseph
Dr. Sagrario Rudecindo-O'Neill
Take Your Career to the Next Level
Elevate your leadership skills, deepen your understanding of critical and contemporary education issues, and learn to help solve the current challenges in P-20 education.
Learn to Inspire Change
The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville, offered in partnership with Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES, utilizes a forward-thinking approach to educational leadership that is ideal for practicing and aspiring leaders in any educational context. It is designed to support the goals of educational professionals who seek to develop their leadership skills for career advancement or current job enhancement.
